The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of April 19, 2024
Balance Weight formed as the Bust of an Empress
c. 390–400
Overall: 10.1 x 5.4 x 5.6 cm (4 x 2 1/8 x 2 3/16 in.)
John L. Severance Fund 1967.28
Location: not on view
Description
Among the most striking Byzantine weights to have survived are the imperial weights issued in the late 4th and 5th centuries. Typically they depict the same royal figures seen on coins to promote the legitimacy and stability of the state and to guarantee their validity as "honest weights." Used on balance scales, the weights were sometimes filled with lead to make them heavier.- (J. J. Klejman, New York).
- The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969. Reproduced: p. 36 archive.orgThe Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 35 archive.org
- Year in Review: 1967. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 29-December 31, 1967).
- {{cite web|title=Balance Weight formed as the Bust of an Empress|url=false|author=|year=c. 390–400|access-date=19 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1967.28